


survival is a talent

by asexuelf



Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No D.O.G. (Sally Face), Animal Abuse, Animal Death, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Healing, Larry Johnson Is a Good Bro, M/M, Moving, No Cult AU, Sad and Happy, Supportive Sal Fisher, Trauma, Travis Lives In Addison Apartments, Travis Phelps Is Safe And Healthy, kenneth phelps die challenge, lets make that a fandom tag ajdjskd, stand up is technically my second sally face oc, we livin our best lives tonight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-14
Updated: 2020-01-14
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22253416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asexuelf/pseuds/asexuelf
Summary: With Travis moving in to Addison Apartments, it only makes sense his kitty will be moving in too. Sal and Larry meet her and get to hear her story for the first time.
Relationships: Larry Johnson & Travis Phelps, Sal Fisher/Travis Phelps
Comments: 14
Kudos: 53





	survival is a talent

**Author's Note:**

> ok disclaimer: i know jack all about cats. literally i know so little. i am tragically allergic to them, despite my big heart full of love for them. so, just imagine that everything in this fic relates to sally face universe cats and not our universe cats.
> 
> also about cats: WARNING FOR KITTY ABUSE. AND, LIKE, KITTY MURDER? it's a second-hand account, but still pretty graphic, as far as animal death in stories needs to be.
> 
> that said, this fic is largely just 3k of travis healing and his buddy and boyfriend crying about it. so i HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!! 💖

It's just growing pains. Sal tells himself that again, then once more for luck. For certainty. _It's just growing pains_.

Travis has been living in Addison Apartments for a couple of days now, but each hour has him looking over his shoulder, tense and shaking, as if he's expecting his father to be standing right behind him.

Sal understands. Living with that kind of fear for so long… Just because you're safe doesn't mean the feeling goes away. A habit like that can't be broken overnight. Sal understands, but that doesn't mean it doesn't break his heart.

"Larry should be here any minute now with your stuff," Sal reminds him gently. Travis turns back towards him, face smoothing out a little from the terror that it was only just wearing. "Then maybe we can get to livening up your new room!"

That seems to brighten Travis up a bit. He looks like he just witnessed a natural disaster or a brutal murder, but he also looks like he's looking forward to being Chug's neighbor. After all the time they've been spending together with Maple and Neil, Chug's excited about it too.

"I hope he's bringing my kitty. I'm worried about her..."

"I'm sure he is. And don't worry - Larry's a super gentle guy."

Travis nods, his eyes looking far away. "It's not really Larry I'm worried about, if I'm honest. It's Father who was never gentle."

For about the three hundredth time since becoming friends with Travis (only about two hundred since becoming his boyfriend), Sal has to close his eyes and breath until the lump in his throat goes away. He's so glad Travis is out of there. He doesn't care if Kenneth Phelps comes tearing through this building with a chainsaw in one hand and a pistol in the other, Sal will _never_ let him take Travis back to that hellhole. The cost doesn't matter - Sal _will_ keep his boyfriend safe.

After a steady count to eight, Sal opens his eyes. "Do you have anything else you're excited to have here?"

Travis shrugs. "Not really. I just asked Larry to grab whatever seemed important and not worry too much about the rest. As long as he gets most of Stand Up's things, we should be okay."

Not for the first time, Sal marvels at the cat's weird name. "Why Stand Up? Why not Mittens or Fluffy or-"

"Or Gizmo?" A rare smile cracks Travis' face, small and crooked. The sight is so blindingly calming to Sal, he almost melts into the floor. Travis shrugs again. "It's what she's good at."

That doesn't really answer the question, but Sal nods anyways. If Travis wants to tell him, he will - that's always how it goes. "Do you have a lot of stuff for her?"

"Well, yes and no." Travis scratches his nose thoughtfully. "She's a special needs kitty, so she has some specific things like a special brush that won't aggravate her scars and the little cast thingy I made for when her leg acts up, but she doesn't play a lot, so she doesn't have many toys. Oh, shit, I hope he grabs her blanket."

"She has her own blanket?" Sal blinks. "That's adorable."

"Yeah, it's special. I made it when she was just a kitten and she loves it." The smile finally grows into something resembling a grin, striking Sal directly through the heart. "It's so tattered up… Whenever she tears it real bad while kneading or biting it, she'll meow at me until I patch it. It's so cute! And the blankets super easy to patch, because it's just a bunch of old T-shirts."

"That's so cool! Is it like a quilt?"

"Pretty much. It was the best I could do for her, since I couldn't buy her a blanket." He laughs then, shaking his head. "I tried to get fancy and give it a border once, but she hated it, so I had to unstitch it all. She's so funny."

Sal can't imagine Gizmo being so fussy. Gizmo is really kind of a sad bachelor in a cat's body, he thinks; that cat just wants to watch TV and eat other people's pizza. His hobbies are taking up the bathroom and melting the wallpaper off with rancid cat farts, but honestly, Sal wouldn't have him any other way.

Sal opens his mouth to reply when he hears the door opening.

"Shit, okay," Larry's voice says, drifting anxiously into the sitting room of 304. He sounds upset in a way he hardly ever does. "Uh- Help!"

Travis stands immediately, Sal not far behind him as they rush to the door.

Larry is there, struggling to hold a cat. "I hope she isn't hurt," he gasps. He obviously hurried to get her here to Travis, his hair sticking to his forehead and to his neck. "She's been doing this since I picked her up at your old place."

The cat's limbs are stretched out completely, so tense that one could almost see her bones. Sal is worried, especially looking at the odd way one of her legs is pointed, but when he looks to Travis is alarm, he finds the other's face mostly calm.

"She's probably just overstimulated," he says easily. It's strange to see his face this smoothed out. It's so out of character for him that Sal almost expects him to cackle and say _just kidding!_ , but instead he continues in a gentle voice, "She gets scared sometimes, which gives her cramps, which scares her, which… Well, y'know."

"Vicious cycle, man." Larry takes a deep breath - in for 8, out for 4. "So I didn't kill your cat?"

Travis laughs, a quiet sound. Something like affection twinkles in his eyes. "No, she'll be okay. Here, I'll take her. Try to find me a medicine syringe or a turkey baster or something to give her water with. She's been alone for too long."

"Dehydration probably doesn't help cramps," Sal pipes in. It certainly doesn't help with his own.

"No, I imagine it does not."

Crisis averted, Sal can finally get a good look at the cat. Though Travis obviously loves her a lot, he doesn't speak of her unless pressed, so Sal didn't know what to expect. Whatever he thought she'd be, what he sees definitely isn't it.

She's a beautiful color. She's all creamy whites, not quite spotty and not quite blotchy, almost like someone poured milk over her once and the stain never quite came out. She's smaller than Gizmo, which isn't surprising given he's a proper Coon, and much less fluffy too. Her fur is missing in some places - places where scar tissue dominates her skin.

When she turns her face to Sal's, his eyes go wide in shock. She meows delicately, her slightly crooked jaw giving her an odd accent. Instead of a _mew_ , it's more of a _myeh_. Her head is misshapen, one ear permanently sticking out to the side and one eye almost forced closed by scarring, and when she meows again, he can see she's missing at least one of her teeth.

"What happened to her?" Sal whispers.

Travis kisses one of her ears, smiling when she _myeh_ s up at him. "I think she was just scared. See, her legs are all better now." He kisses her again, singing to her in baby talk, "All better, all better!"

Her legs are tucked up close to her body now like any other cat, held between her body and Travis' chest as he holds her. Her back left leg is sticking out, though - the one from earlier that was jutting out at an odd angle. It hangs down, brushing against Travis' violet-clad abdomen.

"I mean-" He swallows. It feels rude to ask, somehow, the same way it feels when someone asks him about his prosthetic. "What happened to make her so scarred?"

Travis blinks at him in surprise, like he hadn't even thought of that. Like he forgot she isn't like every other cat. "Oh! Um… My father happened."

"Jesus Christ."

"No blaspheming around the princess, Sal."

At that, Sal has to laugh. "Does that make you the king?"

"Not unless you're claiming the title." He ends it with a wink - an honest-to-God wink! Already, this cat is doing wonders for Travis' confidence and emotional health.

"You be my king, I'll be yours?" Sal would wink too, but with only one eye, that becomes a little difficult. So, he does the next best thing, shooting Travis a finger gun with his left hand.

Travis grins and hides his face in Stand Up's fur. "O-Okay. Sure."

They look away from each other shyly as Larry walks through the doorway, raising his hand to show them a kiddy syringe. "Hey, sorry it took so long, I had to ask my mom where- Oh, thank _fuck_ , she's okay."

"I told you she was!" Travis grins widely. Larry's concern seems to mean a lot to him. "Here, you can hold her better now that she's calmed down. Be friendly, Stand Up. I'll go get you some water."

They trade, Larry grinning widely as soon as Stand Up snuggles into his chest. "Oh, wow. She's not purring, though."

"Yeah, she doesn't really purr," Travis admits, looking thoughtful again. He scratches his cheek with an index finger. "I don't know if it hurts her to…? The rare times she's purred have left her shaking really badly, which she only does when she's in pain or extremely overwhelmed."

"Those things are pretty much synonymous for cats, though, right?" Larry asks, eyebrow raised.

Sal nods. "I'd say they are for anybody."

"True. Stress sucks, man."

Travis returns from his new kitchenette with a glass of water and the kiddy syringe, which he uses to slowly feed Stand Up water while Larry holds her. Watching her drink gets Larry smiling - and Sal isn't far behind. Travis does it so methodically, he must be more than used to it by now. 

The cat is obviously at least two years old, and Travis said he's had her since kitten age… It's strange to think of the bully from sophomore year bottle-feeding a disabled kitten, but heartwarming too. He always knew Travis was a gentle guy.

"Did you bring all her things?" Travis asks suddenly.

Sal look to Larry, who nods. "I think so. Uhhh, a bunch of brushes, the blanket she was on, some stuffed animals, like, a hamster water drink thingy? She didn't seem to have a food bowl, but I looked everywhere. Anything that looked like a kitty would want it, I packed. I brought a bunch of your other shit, too." He shrugs then, careful not to jostle Stand Up. "I know you said to leave it, but I wanted to be sure you had everything you could need. Fuck your dad, man."

Travis smiles. When he replies, his voice is quiet. "Thanks, Larry."

"Mew."

"All done?" Stand Up doesn't reply, but Travis turns and waves Sal and Larry into the sitting room anyways. "Okay, cool. Oh, and don't worry about the food bowl, Larry, I mostly hand feed her. She has a hard time eating because of her jaw, I think." He sighs heavily. "I could never get her into a vet to figure out her exact needs, but maybe I can now?"

"Hell yeah, man."

"Yeah, we'll go too. Just to make sure everything goes awesome."

Travis grins at them both. "Thanks." He turns to Larry. "You grabbed her food though, right?"

"Yep. Need me to go grab it from the truck?"

"Yes, please."

"Cool beans. Sal, come help me bring up all the stuff?"

Sal nods, happily following Larry outside to grab things while Travis reunites with his kitty upstairs. They don't talk about anything, just walking in silence to Larry's beat up truck, then conversing quietly about who would carry what. Sal gets the cat stuff, because it's lighter and his back is a mess, and Larry takes a box full of Travis' journals and blankets and a backpack he says is full of clothes.

It's not everything, but the rest can wait in the truck until Travis is ready for more.

The walk back into the building is just as quiet, but Sal knows they're both thinking the same thing; _Travis' life is so fucked up_. And they're both so damn glad that he's here and safe at last. Stand Up, too. That cat's been through too much - just looking at her and Travis both is enough to tell that much.

When they meet eyes in the elevator, Larry's eyes are wet too.

"Yeah, man," he says. Sal nods, biting the inside of his cheek to keep himself from crying.

When the elevator opens, they both take a deep breath and continue towards 304.

The soft sound of singing is coming from Travis' apartment. The fight against his tears only grows harder - Larry loses his own fight almost immediately.

They enter the apartment anyways, walking in on the scene, feeling like trespassers; Travis is singing and gently rocking the cat, who kneads her claws into his shirt and rubs her head against his chest. The song isn't one Sal recognizes, but it's beautiful. Or maybe that's just because Travis is the one singing it.

The song tapers off when Travis sees them. His face goes a little darker in embarrassment, but he still smiles. "Hey. Just put those wherever. I just need her food right now."

"Shit." Larry grabs the food, handing it to Travis. "We should have got you furniture first. You're gonna need a couch, at least!"

"You saw I didn't have a bed in my room, right?" Travis laughs. Sal's chest squeezes painfully, tighter again when Travis shoots Larry an amused look. "Stand Up and I will be fine."

Larry shakes his head, surprisingly adamant. "No way, man. We'll talk to Robert about finding you something. You don't have to live like- like an _abused_ _animal_ anymore - or ever again."

"Ever again," Sal echoes. "We're getting you a bed to call your own. This is your home, Travis. You don't have to just survive anymore."

"You can live now, Travis. Furniture and all."

Travis' eyes are a little shiny, and when he swallows, it looks difficult for him. "Thank you. Again." He laughs, an airy sound touched by surprise. "I just keep thanking you."

"You're so welcome, dude."

"Anything you need, morning star, all you have to do is ask."

"You're worth it." Larry drops a hand to Travis' shoulder and squeezes. "I mean that."

This time, a tear manages to escape, rolling down Travis' cheek. Almost immediately, Stand Up licks it away, making them all smile.

Sniffling, Travis echoes, "Thank you."

They stand there a while, only a bit awkward, until Travis laughs again.

"Okay, will one of you put all of my stuff in that first bedroom? I'm going to feed her now." He kisses under her ears again. "My poor bubby's probably starving."

The two go together, Larry with the box and Sal with the backpack, and return to see Travis on the floor with a glass of water beside him and Stand Up in his lap. The small bag of cat food is open beside him, and as they watch, he takes a piece out, wets it with the water, and squishes it up for Stand Up to eat from his hand.

They sit beside him, Larry across from him and Sal almost side-by-side with Travis, their knees touching.

"Why'd you name her Stand Up?" Larry asks. "Like, as in comedy, or…?"

Travis laughs. "I mean, a little? I guess that would make her kind of like Sally Face, though."

Sal elbows him playfully.

Shooting him a grin, Travis shakes his head. "No, I named her Stand Up because that's what she did." At Larry's curious look, he sighs. "Um- Okay, tragic backstory time. So, a few years ago, when I first moved here, I was… lonely, right? And I saw this cat outside, a big yellow cat, and I wanted it so bad! I knew my father would say no, but for some reason, I just… hoped beyond hope that I could convince him. I'd show him I'm capable of taking care of her and he'll let me keep her."

Larry audibly swallows.

"Yeah," Travis laughs, the sound breathless and humorless. "He, uh, didn't let me keep her. When I brought her into the house, up into my room, he said it would be a _teachable moment_ for me. And then he-" He shuts his eyes tightly, going so tense that even Stand Up looks at him worriedly.

"It's okay, Travis." Sal tells him quietly. "He isn't here."

Travis breathes. "I know. I'm okay. It's just… graphic."

"Do you want to stop?" Larry asks.

"No, I'm okay." Travis swallows and nods. "Um. Anyways, my father started- hurting the cat. Stepping on her and- and stuff. Apparently, she was pregnant, because the shock of it all made her go into labor. She died during. So, all these kittens were coming out of this dead cat, and my dad is just killing them, and it's horrible. There's so much blood…"

"Is that what that stain was by your door?" Horror colors Larry's voice. "Jesus fucking Christ."

This time, Travis doesn't tell him off for blasphemy. His eyes look far away, haunted - like the blood staining his bedroom floor hasn't left him either. Sal knows the feeling.

"It was terrible. I was sitting there, sobbing, watching it happen and begging for it to be over. Finally he leaves… And as soon as the door closes, this one-" He lifts his cat a little in his arms. "She stands up. She's in awful shape, probably shouldn't even be alive, but she just… stands up on wobbly legs and makes her way over to me. She couldn't see me then, because she was newborn and even then, her head was covered in blood, but it was like she knew I was there. And then she made the cutest, tiniest little sound-"

"Mew."

"Just like that." He kisses the top of her head. "And it didn't matter what my father would do to me. I had to give her a chance. I did everything I could to nurse her back to health. I prayed every night to God that she would be saved and healthy and _okay_. And then, after so much hard work, stitching her together with the thread I kept for fixing my pants, using the antibacterial cream I kept for my own wounds, she was well. I had a hard time feeding her at first, because cats can't actually drink cow milk, but I managed to make it work by getting one of the kids from school to steal formula for me in return for my lunch money."

"Wait- Why didn't he just buy it?"

Seemingly unbothered, Travis shrugs. "Kitty formula's expensive, man. He probably just wanted an excuse to steal something, anyway." Then he leaves another kiss on Stand Up's head. "But, yeah, that's why I called her Stand Up. It's what she's good at. She's the strongest kitty I've ever met."

Rubbing at his eyes, Larry sniffles. "That's fucking fantastic, man. I love this cat."

"She loves you too, Larry." He holds Stand Up out to him, who proves it by licking his tears away.

Larry laughs wetly. "Oh man. Her tongue is so rough. Ouch."

"Sandpaper tongue!" Travis cackles. "I love it."

Sal reaches out to pet Stand Up under her chin, careful not to be too rough. "I guess it's true what they say about pets being just like their humans. She's a survivor, just like you."

"Sal, come on," Travis' chin wobbles and he bites his bottom lip quickly. "Don't make me cry. I'll be pissed."

At that, Sal ducks his head and laughs. "Okay. I'm just proud of you. Both of you."

"...Thank you. I'm proud of us, too."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!! 💖 apologies for any mistakes you may have noticed, i'll fix anything i missed later on! :3
> 
> also: i'm pretty sure i stole the title from a harry potter fanfic, but it's a dope title and as far as i remember, a very good fic 👀 so, if you're into drarry, have a rec? akdjskd


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